


I Saw Daddy Shooting Santa's Elf

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Pridecember 2018 [24]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Elf, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Elves, Fluff, M/M, Santa is Real, Santa's Elves, Single Parents, ygopridecember2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-27 01:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17153030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: "You know, if you shoot one of Santa's elves, you'll be on the naughty list for the rest of eternity,"If anything, that only made the human more irritable- way to go Atem





	I Saw Daddy Shooting Santa's Elf

**Author's Note:**

> Day 24 of Pridecember 2018- "Believe"

Atem had been doing this for a long time, hell, he was one of Santa's original elves as a matter of fact, and yet in all is years, he had _never_ encountered a reaction like this

He had just gotten down the chimney, set his bag down, preparing to start setting out gifts, when he heard the cocking of a gun

Now, typically, elves wouldn't know what guns being cocked sounded like, but Atem had been around during that B.B. gun craze of the American 1950s and remembered alot more about weaponry that he'd explicitly like to

That was definitely a gun

Slowly, he turned around, eyebrows raised, as he stared at the person across from him

Ah yes, the father of the little girl he was leaving gifts for, aiming a loaded pistol at the elf's head

What joy

"You know, if you shoot one of Santa's elves, you'll be on the naughty list for the rest of eternity,"

If anything, that only made the human more irritable- way to go Atem

"You can't really expect me to believe you're one of Santa's elves can you?"

"Mr. Kaiba.... I know that you don't typically believe in this sort of thing, but I can prove my identity to you,"

"I find that extremely hard to believe," Seto replied dryly, gun still aimed squarely at the elf's head

"Please, if you'll just give me a chance? I am unarmed, aren't I? So what harm would it do you?"

The human seemed to contemplate that for a moment, the thoughts rolling back and forth in his head, before he gave a quick, stern nod

"I'm not lowering my gun, do whatever you need to do at gunpoint,"

Great....

Well, atleast Atem had a chance, he supposed

Slowly, he lowered his arms, holding one palm out towards him and summoning a small toy dragon, raising his eyebrows expectingly

"A cheap parlor trick,"

Huffing, Atem rolled his eyes, setting the toy down on the coffee table and wrinkling his nose

Seems that magic wasn't going to do the trick....

"When you were nine, you wished that your parents would come back to life, that was the year you stopped believing,"

"Big deal, that's a common wish for children who lost their parents before they lose their beleif in Santa Claus, and even more common that not having that wish fullfilled would lead one to abandon their beleif,"

Alright... time to pull out the big guns- so to speak

"When you were five, and your mother was pregnant with Mokuba, you wished for a little sibling who would look up to you, who would love you forever, and who would be your best freind- always,"

That, finally, seemed to affect him

A look of shock and amazement- and a little bit of pain- flashed across his face, the grip on the gun loosening as the human slowly lowered the weapon, his face pale, his heart pounding hard in his chest

It was clear that his entire world had just been turned upside down

".... Alright, say I were to believe you, why are _you_ delivering gifts? Isn't that Sana's job?"

"A single person can't deliver millions of gifts in one night, I thought you were a more logical person than that,"

Ok, perhaps not Atem's _brightest_ moment, he can admit that

"Elves often deliver gifts in Santa's place, he can only get so many houses in a single night so we do the rest, I'm just gad that you have a chimney, so few do in Japan, I've had to find some creative ways of getting into houses,"

Seto only nodded numbly, slowly sitting down on the couch

Ah... this was the part Atem hated most about all of this

The parents learning the truth, on the rare occasion that it happened, was rarely an easy process

It was just so much for them to swallow, so much about their worldveiw changing all in one single flick of a wrist- so to speak

Atem really couldn't blame them for having such a hard time with it, he would too, if he were in their shoes

"How do parents not notice?" he asked listlessly, his mind clearly... somewhat elsewhere

"I mean you just.... things appear that they didn't buy..."

"Manipulation mostly, planting the seeds of doubt and making people believe that their partner, or parent, or aunt, or whoever else, bought the toy in question, or in some cases, when we don't have many options, we simply do a little memory manipulation,"

Atem hated that, personally

He wanted adults to believe too

But he knew that, unfortunately, the most adults wouldn't think Santa had come

They would jump to all sorts of confusion- bad confusion, nothing good, unfortunately, that was why Atem and the other elves had to... nudge their perspectives so they wouldn't get too suspicious

He was glad that he atleast wouldn't have to do that here, even if the parent in question _did_ look like he might just pass out

"If this is all too much for you, I can tinker with your memories and-"

"No," he replied suddenly and firmly

"I want to remember, I want to believe.... I just.... need some time to get used to it,"

Atem smiled softly, giving a small nod as he walked over to the Christmas tree and set out the gifts assigned to the Kaiba household

"I ... wish I could stay but I have several more houses to visit before the night is over,"

He received nothing but a nod and a wave off, but somehow, he still felt wrong about all of it

He still felt like he should stay, even as he climbed back up the chimney

 

~+~

 

"Thank you Daddy, thank you!!"

"Don't thank me, thank Santa,"

And for the first time in the five years that Seto had had his daughter, he could mean that with total honesty

"I will, I will," she promised, her arms already wrapped around her father's neck, hugging him tightly

Seto was always more than happy to hug back, squeezing her joyfully, but unfortunately, he was cut short, the sound of the doorbell causing the dog to bark- and where had been that barking dog with the elf last night!?- and forcing him to get up

Odd, he wasn't expecting anyone...

He made his way to the door, a frown already on his face as he opened it, but his expression immediately lightened upon seeing who was there

The elf......

Dressed in street clothes.....

"Hello," he said politely

"I just came to check on you, it isn't every day that an adult learns the truth and ... you weren't seeming to handle it very well,"

Well that was .... very nice, actually

"I... thank you," he said slowly, a slight pink coating on his otherwise pale features

"You're welcome, but you um.... you're doing well?"

"Yes, once the initial shock wore off, I... am doing alright now,"

"Good, that's good, well if you need anything or have any questions, my name is Atem, and all you need to do is just call out my name an-"

"Atem?"

The elf blinked, eyebrows raising curiously

"I have nothing _but_ questions, are you free any time tommorrow for some coffee?"

"I think I can squeeze in the time off," the elf grinned

"Good then, it's a date,"

Date?

_Date_?

Before Atem could ask further, the door was shut again

....

Huh

Well, one thing was for sure, he had never experienced anything like this before


End file.
